By Esther Alexander (ABUJA) –
Amid rising cases of kidnappings in Africa, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing has issued a warning to Chinese citizens and working businesses in the continent to avoid some parts of Africa for the time being.
Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, confirmed the kidnapping of five Chinese citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday.
He urged anyone who was in a risky situation to flee as soon as possible.
Zhao said the abductions occurred during an attack on a gold mine in the town of Mukera in eastern Congo, and that three Chinese personnel were also taken in a separate incident in Nigeria.
The speaker emphasized that Nigeria and Congo posed “significant security dangers,” and that these occurrences were not the first of their sort.
“China’s Foreign Ministry, embassies, and consulates had previously cautioned nationals not to travel to high-risk areas,” according to the statement.
In recent years, China has greatly increased its investments in Africa’s mining industry.
This has fueled local resentment of wealthy Chinese workers working in resource-rich countries like the Congo, where living standards are exceedingly low.
In 2008, Congo’s former president Joseph Kabila signed a highly controversial nine-billion-dollar agreement guaranteeing China mining rights in the country in return for funding for much-needed infrastructure projects.
A few weeks ago, Kabila’s successor, Felix Tshisekedi, called for a review of the agreement and for what he termed “fairer deals”.
(NAN)
